"God lets us sin because Adam sinned, so we will die," says Ben, age 10. "If he didn't sin, we would live forever. But Adam listened to Eve, so that's it."

So that's it, huh? Ben, I believe there's more to the story.

"I think God lets us sin because we were born sinning, and that's the way our life will go," says Katy, 8.

Are you saying that cute, cuddly babies who haven't taken their first steps are "born sinning"? How can this be?

Laura, 9, explains: "God doesn't let us sin. We have a want to sin."

That's it! Our "want to" is messed up. Before Adam and Eve sinned, their "want to" was in perfect harmony with God. Now, we enter the world with a "want to" that's selfish and egotistical. If you "want to" test this, consider one of the first words every baby learns.

"No!!!"

"When Adam and Eve sinned, we all sinned," says Brad, 11. All Americans are represented when the president of the United States signs an agreement with the leader of a foreign country. In a similar way, when Adam and Eve sinned, we all sinned.

The Bible speaks of the headship of the first Adam and the second Adam. The good news is that the second Adam, Jesus Christ, came to undo the damage of the first.

"God let us sin because he didn't want a world of perfect people," says Nick, 9.

I wonder if your idea of "perfect people" might need some fine-tuning. If you equate perfection with self-righteous religious people who never smile and who judge anyone who isn't as miserable as they appear to be, then you're right. That's not God's idea of perfection.

Nick, do you like pain, sorrow and crying? I would assume not. The Bible promises that "God will wipe away every tear" from his people. He'll also remove all pain and sorrow. No one will sin, and no one will die.

"God gives choices, not necessarily to sin, but to make choices for Him," says Taylor, 11. "But as humans, we make wrong choices (sin). God didn't want us to all be the exact same people programmed to do things. That is why we have choices. We make them to sin."

"God must not want robots," adds Josh, 12.

Shortly before Jesus' crucifixion, he lamented over the people of Jerusalem by saying, "How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing" (Matthew 23:37).

Here's a clear case where human freedom and divine will go in different directions. We can choose to come under the wings of God's offer to take care of us by trusting the new Adam, Jesus Christ, to be our savior. Or, like the first Adam, who ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we can reject God's offer of perfect provision.

God wants us to eat from the tree of life by choice, not by force. After we receive the Lord's life, he wants to reproduce his life in us. As Austin, 10, says, "God wants us to do good for Him with love, not because He made us do it."

Think about this: Jesus started a new race of people who will live with him forever.

Memorize this truth: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive" (I Corinthians 15:22).

Ask this question: Are you part of God's new creation in the Second Adam, Jesus Christ?

Carey Kinsolving is a syndicated columnist, producer, author, speaker and website developer. To see more material like this, visit www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org. The Kids Talk About God website contains free, online content for children and families. See Carey’s Kid TV Interviews. Hear a book talk. Print free lessons from the "Kids Color Me Bible" and make your own book. Let an 11-year-old girl take you on a trip around the world in the Mission Explorers Streaming Video. Print Scripture verses illustrated by child artists. Receive a complimentary, weekly e-mail subscription to our Devotional Bible Lessons.

Bible quotations in this Bible lesson are from the New King James Version.